The present U.S. patent application having at least one common inventor as
U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/961,155 entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Auxiliary Contact Assemblyxe2x80x9d, and
U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/961,159 entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Auxiliary Contact Assembly and Snap Mountingxe2x80x9d, and
U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/961,162 entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Mounting a Moveable Contact in a Contact Blockxe2x80x9d, and
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/961,156 entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Mounting a Moveable Contact in a Contact Blockxe2x80x9d, and
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/961,158 entitled xe2x80x9cContact Block Assembly and Method of Assembling a Contact Block Assemblyxe2x80x9d, and
U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/961,160 entitled xe2x80x9cMovable Contact and a Method of Assembling a Pusher Assembly having a Movable Contactxe2x80x9d, which are filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office concurrently on Sep. 21, 2001, the entirety of each being incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a pusher used in a contact block, and more particularly to a pusher assembly for receiving a movable contact and a method of assembling a pusher assembly.
Contact block assemblies are often assembled by hand, and often have a number of springs which make the assembly difficult. In particular, when assembling components of a conventional contact block assembly, it may be necessary for an assembler to compress a spring in order to insert another component of the assembly. In such situations, it is often common that the spring becomes dislodged, and in many cases may becomes lost. More importantly, the difficulty in assembling the contact block may cause additional fatigue on a worker and an increase in assembly errors.
Such problems are particularly true of pusher assemblies, which often have smaller springs that are more difficult to manipulate with the human hand. In particular, inserting a small spring into a pusher by compressing the spring can be difficult. Further, when a pusher assembly is assembled in a contact block, it is beneficial if the components of the pusher assembly are secured within the pusher assembly. That is, the pusher assembly could be picked up and placed in the contact block housing without any fear that components of the pusher assembly would become dislodged. Accordingly, there is a need for a pusher assembly which is easy to assemble and will stay intact prior to assembly into a contact block.
The present invention is related to a pusher assembly for use in a contact block. According to one aspect of the present invention, a pusher assembly generally comprises a body portion, a first window formed in the body portion, and a second window formed adjacent to the first window, wherein the second window is wider than the first window.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for assembling a pusher assembly comprises the steps of inserting a movable contact into a first position in a first window; moving the movable contact to a second window; and rotating the movable contact to a second position within the second window.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved pusher assembly having a movable contact and a spring.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a contact block assembly having an improved pusher assembly.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved method for assembling a pusher assembly.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.